Most Explanatory Photographs?

[James Brenner]

As a follow-on to the recent posts on Civil War photographs, which photograph(s) do you think best depict and/or explain the Civil War and why?

Here's what I am getting at. Using Vietnam as an example, I can think of at least six pictures that represent the different aspects of that war. The first is the Buddhist monk's self-immolation because it represents the political and civil unrest in the early 60s. The image of the Saigon police chief shooting the Viet Cong captain depicts the war's unconventional aspects. The photo of the naked Vietnamese girl running away from a napalm attack is aptly titled, The Terror of War. My Lai represents not just war crimes, but also the frustration of fighting an unseen enemy. The Marines at Khe Sahn during TET represents the conventional war. The helicopter evacuation from the American embassy shows the end of the war. And the photo of Mary Ann Vecchio next to Jeffrey Miller's body at Kent State University represents home front attitudes about the war.

Is there anything similar from the Civil War? I can think of a couple photos (Mary Surrat's execution, for one), but are there any others?

 

[Lampasas Bill]

Certainly the photo of Lincoln speaking at the dedication of the soldiers' cemetery at Gettysburg.

 

[Lampasas Bill]

Another one that sums up the war is "A Burial Party, Cold Harbor, Virginia." It features a black man seated beside a stretcher of disinterred bodies.

 

[Old Soldier]

1862 6th Maine Infantry Fredricksburg

1865 107th U.S. Colored Infantry, Fort Corcoran

Just ... ordinary soldiers.

 

[Robert Gray]

Your photo of the 6th Maine Infantry is actually Company C of the 110th Pennsylvania Infantry. The location is Stoneman's Switch, Va. and it was taken in April of 1863.

 

[NFB22]

Another one that sums up the war is "A Burial Party, Cold Harbor, Virginia." It features a black man seated beside a stretcher of disinterred bodies.

Agreed.

Others for me:

- The dead at Dunker Church at Antietam
- Lincoln meeting with McClellan and his staff
- The sharpshooter at Gettysburg and the three captured prisoners
- Grant at Cold Harbor
- Destroyed remains of Richmond and/or Charleston.

 

[TerryB]

The three Confederate prisoners at Gettysburg.

 

[R. Porter]

I was going to suggest a burned city but was beaten to the punch. You could include a supply depot like the one at White House Landing to represent the economic advantage of the North or a collection of ironclads for a similar reason or to show the naval aspect of the war. Maybe a photo of one of the health fairs.

Legend has it that my son was in elementary school with the grandson of the U.S. Army general standing just out of the frame of the photo with the Saigon police officer.

 

[Old Soldier]

Your photo of the 6th Maine Infantry is actually Company C of the 110th Pennsylvania Infantry. The location is Stoneman's Switch, Va. and it was taken in April of 1863.

I wasn't there at the time. Caption ammended.

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/6th-maine-after-fredericksburg.69602/ And many other sites quoted the original.

 

[Chattahooch33]

This one has always been one of my favories. Federal Troops outside Atlanta. Alot to see and pick apart, and would love to know where it was... that hill in the background should give clues.